North Korean Soccer Team Punished for Losing the World Cup
Remember how the North Korean soccer team managed to give the Brazil—then considered the world's greatest team—a workout during the just-ended World Cup before being eliminated in the group stage? Remember how some people joked about the team facing shame (if not imprisonment) for losing when they returned home to their fucked-up totalitarian homeland?
It's no joke—the players and coaches were subjected to a six-hour show trial for failing to beat the world's best in the DPRK's first World Cup since the 1960s:
The team's coach, Kim Jong-hun, was reportedly forced to become a builder [i.e., construction worker -ed] and has been expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea. The coach was punished for "betraying" Kim Jong-un – one of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il's sons and heir apparent.
Following ideological criticism, the players were then allegedly forced to blame the coach for their defeats.
Way to lose with honor, guys.